Under Brazilian law, the penalty for falsely filing a crime report carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison.
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This information is breaking and we will update as more information is available.
It was reported Thursday afternoon that Lochte was expected to be summoned to Brazil to testify in Rio de Janeiro as part of an ongoing investigation into his claims and he and three other U.S. Olympic swimmers were held at gunpoint during the Summer Games, according to a published report on Thursday.
Brazilian police have asked a judge to issue a summons for the 12-time Olympic medalist to appear in a Brazilian court and answer accusations he filed a false police report, Clemente Braune, a commissioner with the Special Tourist Police in Rio, said Thursday.
But the police say he made up the story and officers produced video evidence that the group were actually challenged by security guards after they’d vandalised a petrol station toilet.
Lochte returned to the USA on August 17, the same day a judge ordered the four swimmers to remain in the country.
However, it is understood that if Mr Lochte did attend the hearing he could agree to pay a fine like fellow swimmer Jimmy Feigen, who was with him during the incident. Lochte later admitted he lied about the circumstances surrounding the holdup.
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Lochte has apologized for poor behavior during an incident at a Rio gas station on the morning of August 14. Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops said it would launch a series of ads featuring Lochte with the slogan: “Forgiving on Your Throat.”. They were later allowed to leave Brazil, as was Feigen, after he also gave testimony. “I’m taking full responsibility for it”, he told NBC’s Matt Lauer in an August 20 interview.
